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Torres Hosts Town Hall in Ontario

ONTARIO, CA – On Saturday March 25th Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) hosted a town hall meeting at Chaffey Joint Union High School District’s Hill Auditorium in Ontario for residents of the 35th congressional district, which includes Bloomington, Chino, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, and Rialto.

“In order for me to be an effective representative in Congress, I need to know where our community stands on the issues,” said Torres. “This town hall gave me the opportunity to hear directly from a wide-range of constituents, and while we certainly didn’t all agree on some of the issues discussed, it was overall a very productive conversation. I’m looking forward to continuing this broad and open dialogue with the community and encourage all residents of the 35th district to remain engaged with my office.”

Approximately 400 residents were in attendance, and participants were able to ask questions via lottery system as well as through Twitter and Facebook, where the event was livestreamed. Torres was also joined by a panel of experts on a variety of issues. They included: James Gilliam, Deputy Executive Director at the ACLU of Southern California; Dr. Bradley Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer of the Inland Empire Health Plan; and Diane K. Uchimiya, Director of Experiential Learning, Director of the Justice and Immigration Clinic, and Professor of Law at the University of La Verne.

“Medi-Cal expansion in California has provided a vulnerable population comprehensive healthcare coverage and been a major boon to the local economy, adding $1.23 billion annually,” said Dr. Gilbert. “I appreciated the opportunity to speak to the local community about how repealing the Affordable Care Act could undo the advances we have made and weaken the overall health and economy of our community.”

“Given the growing number of Southern Californians who are concerned about protecting the rights of immigrants, I was so excited to receive Congresswoman Torres' invitation to participate in this event and answer questions on this important topic,” said Mr. Gilliam.

"Many people are concerned about immigration priorities and policies set forth in President Trump's Executive Orders, as they affect families, students, universities, employers, and more,” said Professor Uchimiya. “Kudos to Congresswoman Torres for her efforts to listen to and inform constituents about issues like immigration and healthcare, which have been at the top of the political agenda. I appreciate the opportunity to join her for this town hall meeting so we could answer questions and provide resources.”